# Novel title needed...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 5, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691 "2004-03-05T13:47:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691/1 "2004-03-05T13:47:31Z")

</div>

There is a fantasy/science fiction series that I read as a child and greatly enjoyed, but now cannot remember the name of… a recent triva quiz somewhere on the SDMB triggered my memory of them, but the question (and answer) were tangential and never mentioned the book title, so that didn’t help. Here’s what I remember:

Will is a 12/13 (???) year old boy who lives (in the UK???) by the coast. On his birthday he is let into the secret that he is, in fact, one of the “Old Ones” - guardians of the earth against some evil forces. There are (seven???) rings of power that need to be collected - each made of different materials - before the evil powers can get their hands on them. But they are hidden and the subject of each book is the quest to find the next ring using various cryptic clues. Bizarrely, I remember that the rings get looped onto Will’s belt, and are often mistaken for belt-buckles…

And that’s it - if anyone can ID them, I’d be most grateful. I would love to read them again.

Thanking you in advance, I remain &c  
Grim

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691/2 "2004-03-05T14:15:42Z")

</div>

Could this be _The Dark is Rising_ by Susan Cooper?

I can’t remember there being several different rings in that but there is definetely several different elements needing to be collected. It is indeed series and it does feature a boy named Will.

Here is a long-ish review from which you should be able to find out if it is the one you’re looking for or not:

[http://www.greenmanreview.com/dark\_is\_rising.html](http://www.greenmanreview.com/dark_is_rising.html)

I really liked those too as a kid.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691/3 "2004-03-05T14:20:25Z")

</div>

That is indeed the series!!!

Well done sir!

😃 Grim

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691/4 "2004-03-05T15:04:54Z")

</div>

Madam, actually. 🙂

No problem. Enjoy them again!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/novel-title-needed/232691/5 "2004-03-05T15:18:04Z")

</div>

Bah, there is no way that kid could be one of the “Old Ones” - he doesn’t have a ridged barrel shaped body with thin horizontal arms radiating outwards from it.